Drawn to Another Darkness
by Melian1
Summary: Harry Potter and his friends enter Middle-earth in order to prevent Draco Malfoy from obtaining the one ring and returning to their own time bringing with him the darkest evil of all. Who will they encounter in Middle-earth and how will they be received?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Any and all books of both the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series.  
  
A/N: Harry Potter and his friends enter Middle-earth in order to prevent Draco Malfoy from obtaining the one ring and returning to their own time bringing with him the darkest evil of all. Who will they encounter in Middle-earth and how will they be received? More important, can they get to the ring before Draco?  
  
Series written by: SheDoesMagic (FFN) and Melian (FFN).  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The Corruption of Draco Malfoy  
  
  
  
Hermione Granger stood motionless at the front of the Potions' classroom watching the young man as he slowly added powdered bicorn horn to the cauldron in front of him. The potion effervesced with a soft fizzing sound then went quiet. The corners of the young man's lips curled up into a satisfied smile. Quickly he transferred the contents of the cauldron into a large cup. Only a few feet in front of the young man, Hermione could see the liquid glowing an iridescent blue as he poured.  
  
The young wizard picked up the cauldron and empty bottles and carried them to the back of the room. Without pausing to rinse these items, he dumped them carelessly into the nearest washbasin and quickly returned to the cup with the newly made potion. Leaning over the table, he studied a book which lay open before him. Pointing the tip of his wand to a well- marked spot in the book, he muttered: "Intro Inibi Liber." Seemingly satisfied he closed the book and placed it in the open backpack next to him. Tucking his wand into the folds of his robe, he shouldered the large backpack and then grabbed the long, heavy cloak lying over a nearby chair. With one swift motion, he wrapped the cloak about his shoulders and fastened it at his throat.  
  
Grasping the cup, the young man appeared to hesitate before bringing it to his lips. The cup hovered there for an instant as if the young man were standing on the edge of a precipice and could not decide whether to take the plunge. Then, as if all doubt had been swept away, he spoke "Ineo," and he drank its contents in one large gulp.  
  
Hermione held her breath. The young man stood before her unchanged, apparently unaffected by the potion. The young man's face was stoic, void of anticipation or any other emotion for that matter. As the seconds ticked by, Hermione slowly began to breath once again. 'Did he honestly think he would succeed,' she mused to herself. His utmost confidence suddenly struck Hermione as ridiculous. 'How long will he continue to stand there and wait for that impotent potion to take effect?' Hermione laughed to herself, her convictions validated as each second ticked by.  
  
Instantly the young man turned toward the sound of her laughter, his blue eyes searching for the presence he could not see. With a sharp intake of breath, Hermione realized her mistake. An invisibility cloak is only useful if the wearer remains silent. Anger flashed across the young wizard's face as he opened his mouth to address the intruder. But no words were spoken, for Draco Malfoy had disappeared.  
  
Hermione's jaw dropped as she stared in complete disbelief at the spot where only moments ago Draco Malfoy stood. Her mind reeled trying in vain to grasp hold of the situation. Suddenly the full impact of Draco's intentions came rushing back. Without hesitation she fled the dungeon at a furious pace headed for the Gryffindor common room with each step the direness of the situation became more and more apparent.  
  
Only two weeks ago, Hermione had noticed Draco spending an unusual amount of time in the Hogwarts' library. This alone was enough to pique the interest of the young woman, but it was only when she asked to borrow Unusual Potions of the World, Vol. 8, by Arsenius Jigger which he had been hoarding, that she had noticed what the young Slytherin was up to. She had laughed about it at the time, but his diligence alarmed her. She brought the matter up with Harry and Ron, and the three of them had decided it would be a good idea if Hermione kept an eye on him. With the use of Harry's invisibility cloak, she had been spending her nights monitoring Malfoy's progress.  
  
How Malfoy had even stumbled across Tolkien's muggle trilogy was beyond Hermione since those in the wizarding world rarely paid attention to the works of the non-magical folk. Grudgingly, Hermione had to admit that the Slytherin's concoction was ingenious  
  
"Ostium annuo," she whispered.  
  
Not waiting for the door to open fully, the young woman burst into the Gryffindor common room. The hour was later than she had realized for the common room was deserted. Wasting no time, she ran up the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory. Without knocking she entered the room where Harry and Ron slept. Noiselessly she closed the door and approached the red- curtained bed where Harry lay sleeping peacefully.  
  
"Harry. Harry!" Hermione called softly to the young man.  
  
Harry had been flying high over the Quidditch field, the golden snitch mere inches from his outstretched hand when the sound of Hermione's voice awakened him. Groggily, he looked in the direction of her voice, but his eyes could find nothing to focus on. "Hermione, is that you?"  
  
"It's happened. Malfoy did it. He actually did it!"  
  
Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, but the spectacles did not bring Hermione into view, "Hermione, you're still wearing the invisibility cloak."  
  
The young witch sighed with irritation and removed the cloak with a flourish. "Come on, Harry, we don't have much time. We have to follow him."  
  
"What are you talking about, Hermione? I thought you said he would never succeed."  
  
"I was wrong, alright," the young woman conceded. "Now come on" she insisted as she tried to drag the young man out of bed.  
  
"I must be dreaming," came the groggy voice of one Ron Weasley. "And what a wonderful dream it is because I think Hermione Granger just admitted to being 'wrong'."  
  
"You're going to have to gloat about it some other time, Ron," Hermione said indignantly. "Malfoy succeeded: he just entered Middle-earth."  
  
"Middle-what?" Ron questioned.  
  
"Honestly Ron, haven't you been listening to a word I've said lately?"  
  
"No, I never have before. Why would I start now?" he offered sarcastically.  
  
"Remember," she reminded him, "the ring; the one that gives the wearer power over everything and everyone?"  
  
"Oh yeah, right," Ron muttered sarcastically.  
  
At Hermione's insistence, Harry slowly got out of bed and started to dress. Ron still lay comfortably behind his crimson curtains giving no indication he would move. "Ron, we've got to hurry. I'm not sure how fast time passes in Middle-earth. He may already have the ring." Ron's head fell back and hit the pillow. Hermione stormed purposefully to the young man's bed. Before Ron could react, he found himself sprawled on the floor next to his bed, sheets tangled in his feet.  
  
"Hey, what's this got to do with me?" Ron complained. "We are talking about a book, aren't we? A muggle book at that."  
  
"Well, I don't know, Ron," the young lady taunted. "Maybe you'd like being Malfoy's slave." With a sigh the young man rose to his feet. As he stretched and reached for his clothes, Hermione couldn't help but notice his broad shoulders and well-developed chest. Clad only in his pajama bottoms, Hermione gazed at the young man before her, remembering him years earlier when they first met and how different he looked now.  
  
"What?" Ron said with a great deal of irritation.  
  
"Nothing," Hermione offered as she looked away. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks.  
  
"Shut it, I'm trying to sleep," came the sleepy voice of Seamus Finnigan.  
  
"Is there a girl in here?" Neville inquired sheepishly.  
  
"No," Ron asserted him, "you're dreaming. Go back to sleep."  
  
Once the young men were dressed, Hermione refocused on the task at hand itemizing the things they would need for their journey. "It's winter in Middle-earth so we need to pack warm clothes. I'm not sure how long we will be there, but pack as light as you can. You'll need to wear your cloaks and don't forget to wear a good pair of shoes. We're going to be doing lots of walking." She paused running over the list in her mind. "And please, don't forget your wand."  
  
Ron could not believe he was up in the middle of the night packing to leave their existence and travel into a book. At least that's what he thought they were planning to do. He hadn't really listened to her ramblings over the past few weeks. It seemed too fantastic to be real. Catching a glimpse of a sleepy-eyed Harry out of the corner of his eye, Ron was certain the young wizard was thinking the same thing.  
  
Knowing time was short, Hermione decided to put Harry in charge of obtaining provisions for their journey. "Harry, use your invisibility cloak to gain access to the kitchen and get food and water for our trip." She wasted no time in assigning Ron a task, as well. "Ron, you go with Harry and find a pot, eating utensils, and three bowls. And remember, whatever you bring, you carry."  
  
"And just what are you going to be doing while we are doing all this work?" Ron asked.  
  
"I will be in the dungeon trying to re-create Malfoy's potion," she assured him. "Meet me down there as soon as you can." After making plans with Ron and Harry, Hermione crept into her own dormitory and packed her things quickly. She stacked her copies of "The Lord of the Rings", "The Silmarillion", "The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth," and "Hogwarts: A History," on a table. With a quick "arto libri" and a wave of her wand, the heavy stack of books shrunk instantly. Picking up the small bundle of books in the palm of her hand, the young lady tucked them away near the bottom of her backpack. After slipping on a pair of walking boots, she quietly threw her backpack over her shoulder and draped her cloak over her arm. As she reached the Gryffindor common room, she realized that getting back to the dungeon would prove to be quite a task without Harry's invisibility cloak. Knowing she had no choice, Hermione crept through corridors as quickly as possible. Approaching the dungeons, a faint meow alerted her to the presence of Mrs. Norris, and no doubt, Filch as well. Finding refuge behind a suit of armor, she held her breath as the meowing grew softer until if faded into silence.  
  
The potion was surprisingly simple to make, and thankfully, would require little time to brew. Throwing her backpack in a nearby chair, Hermione pulled out a parchment full of notes and her copy of "The Lord of the Rings." Bringing the book back to its natural size, she flipped to the maps at the front of the book quickly locating Rivendell. She made her way quickly to the potion master's private stores taking time to pick up a large cauldron from the back of the room. Hermione was not surprised to find the door unlocked. Professor Snape had given Malfoy permission to use his private stores at his leisure. Having memorized the ingredients, she quickly assembled the bottles needed to make a triple batch of the potion and returned to the table. Following directions amended only yesterday as she copied Malfoy's notes, Hermione added each ingredient: armadillo bile, chopped daisy roots, skinned shrivelfig, and leech juice.  
  
Her efforts proved fruitful when within seconds of adding the powdered bicorn horn, The liquid turned iridescent blue as it effervesced with a soft fizzing sound and then went quiet. Hermione smiled to herself, proud of her achievement. Her happiness quickly turned to anxiety as she realized the mission she and her friends were about to undertake. And where were those boys?  
  
Just then, Hermione heard the unmistakable sound of the two Gryffindors approaching the potions classroom, arguing. "Well, I still don't understand why I have to go?"  
  
"You don't. You don't have to go, Ron," Harry whispered insistently, obviously irritated by Ron's complaining. "You can go back to bed for all I care! But I'm going because Hermione's right: if Malfoy gets this ring, the whole world is in trouble."  
  
"But it's not even plausible—"  
  
"Well then you explain Malfoy disappearing into a book!"  
  
"What use is the invisibility cloak if you two are arguing all the way through the dungeons? There's no need to alert the entire castle to our plan," Hermione scorned. "Now, hurry up. Did you get everything we need?  
  
"Yes, we've got enough food for 7 days, but then –" Harry was interrupted.  
  
"Seven days! How long is this going to take?" Ron pleaded.  
  
"I don't know, but you don't have to come if you don't want to," Hermione offers.  
  
"Well," Ron hesitates, "I'm already awake and packed, so let's just go." Harry shook his head and muttered to himself as he folded his invisibility cloak and stuffed into his pack.  
  
Pouring the contents of the potion equally into 3 cups, Harry helped Hermione replace the ingredients in the closet. "Alright," Hermione says, approaching the open book, "pull out your wands and place the tip of it on the spot I marked next to Rivendell on the map in this book."  
  
"Why there?" Ron inquired.  
  
"Because I think that's where Draco marked his map," Hermione explained.  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Well," she stated haughtily, " I didn't think he'd appreciate me just waltzing up and flipping through his copy of the book. It might look a bit suspicious."  
  
"All right," Harry interceded, "let's not lose sight of why we are here. Hermione, continue please."  
  
"Thank you, Harry." Ron rolled his eyes wondering what she was getting them into this time. "As I was saying, you point your wand on this spot and say: 'Intro Inibi.' Then put on your backpack and cloak. We'll all drink the potion at the same time, that way we will all arrive in Middle- earth at the same time."  
  
Harry followed Hermione's instructions, followed by a less-than-optimistic Ron Weasley, while Hermione washed out the cauldron. Returning to her friends, Hermione followed suit, pointing her wand at the spot outside of Rivendell on the map and muttering 'Intro Inibi Liber.' She closed the book, muttered "arto liber" and tucked the small book away. Shouldering her backpack and fastening her cloak around her neck, she joined the two young men who already held their cups. "Everybody ready?" Both young wizards nodded. "Alright, to commence, you must say 'Ineo' just before you drink. Altogether –" And with that, the three spoke in unison, "Ineo," and downed the contents of their cups swiftly.  
  
"Hermione," Ron complained, "I think you've made a –"  
  
  
  
And with that, they disappeared from the potions classroom, and three more strangers entered the world of Middle-earth.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: "On the Heels of the Fellowship." Please read and review. 


	2. On the Heels of the Fellowship

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Any and all books of both the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series.  
  
A/N: Harry Potter and his friends enter Middle-earth in order to prevent Draco Malfoy from obtaining the one ring and returning to their own time bringing with him the darkest evil of all. Who will they encounter in Middle-earth and how will they be received? More important, can they get to the ring before Draco?  
  
Series written by: SheDoesMagic (FFN) and Melian (FFN).  
  
  
  
  
  
On the Heels of the Fellowship  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry shivered as the chill wind blew through the heather around him. His eyes strained adjusting to the sudden bright light. He immediately wished he had packed warmer clothes. Standing atop what looked like the Highland moors of Scotland, the young wizard wondered where his friends were. Turning around, Harry stepped back catching his breath. The sight of Rivendell was even more beautiful than he'd ever imagined. Harry took a few steps forward gazing in awe at the numerous magnificent waterfalls surrounding the home of Elrond. The detailed architecture was just as he'd pictured it in his mind years ago when he first read the book. Delicate archways carved in white stone mimicked nature itself. Broad verandas and balconies overlooked the river below. Looking closer, Harry could see figures moving about the walkways and terraces, and it thrilled him to know that these were Tolkien's elves.  
  
Wrenched back into reality, at least this reality, by the hand of Hermione Granger, Harry was nearly hurled away from this magnificent sight. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "The elves can see much better than humans. Do you have any idea what they will do to us if we are caught here?"  
  
"What?" Ron inquired.  
  
"Well, for one, we'll never be allowed to leave the last homely house," she assured him.  
  
"The what?" they asked in unison.  
  
"Rivendell," she scoffed.  
  
After a slight pause, Ron inquired further, "Rivendale, What's that?"  
  
"Riven-DELL, not Riven-DALE. And it's a 'where,' not a 'what.' " she whispered insistently.  
  
"Why are we whispering?" Ron asked.  
  
"Because in addition to excellent sight, the elves have excellent hearing," Harry added.  
  
"Let's get off this road. Even with Harry's invisibility cloak we are going to have to be very careful." Hermione ushered them away from the breath-taking sight of Rivendell back toward the River Bruinen. While walking down the road, Hermione reached into Harry's backpack to retrieve his invisibility cloak.  
  
"We need to be concealed under the invisibility cloak because we don't know who's watching," Hermione insisted. Moving in-between the two young men, Hermione wrapped the cloak around them all.  
  
"How long are we going to have to be tripping over one another like this?" Ron asked.  
  
"About 5 seconds," Hermione replied. With that, she pulled her wand from her robe pocket and spoke: "engorgio amiculum." Suddenly the weight of the cloak felt slightly heavier, and the sides drug along the ground. "Well that answers that question."  
  
"What question," Harry inquired.  
  
"Whether or not we'd be able to do magic in Middle-earth," she replied proudly.  
  
"You mean you didn't know whether or not we could do magic here?" Ron implored.  
  
"Well, in theory, we shouldn't have had any problem doing magic; we haven't changed. However, there was a slight probability that magical laws governing Middle-earth would not apply to us," Hermione answered astutely.  
  
"Don't you think you should have made certain," Ron continued. "You could warn us about these things before we jump into a book, into another place, another time, another reality!" His whispering grew ever louder with each word.  
  
"Ron, Malfoy's the one who invented the potion. We didn't even think it would work," Harry defended.  
  
"It shouldn't have worked," Hermione insisted.  
  
"Well, we're here," Ron concluded.  
  
"All right, keep your voices down." Hermione scolded as they approached the Ford of Bruinen. She led them off the road a short distance. "Make yourselves comfortable. We're going to have to wait here until the Fellowship passes by."  
  
"A church group?"  
  
Hermione refused to dignify Ron with an answer. She merely glared at the redhead. "I'm going to get some rest. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Someone needs to stay awake to keep an eye out for the Fellowship. They won't be passing by until after dusk if they are coming tonight." Finding a grassy spot, Hermione took off her backpack and laid her cloak down before she curled up to take a nap. Harry followed her lead resting just beside her.  
  
"No, that's all right, don't worry about things. I'll stay awake. You just sleep." Both Harry and Hermione opted to ignore his sarcasm and were soon asleep. Propping himself up against a boulder by his two sleeping friends, Ron rooted around in Hermione's backpack. She always had something to read. Finding a small bundle of books, he whispered: "engorgio liber;" and took the topmost book off the pile: "The Lord of the Rings."  
  
  
  
  
  
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Harry stretched stiff legs. He had been sitting on the cold, hard ground for over a day now. The few short walks taken when they were all awake had not been enough to stretch cramped muscles. Harry yawned. Since the sun was setting in the west, Harry decided it a good idea to wake his companions. He was just reaching over to shake the redhead awake when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Coming over the rise from Rivendell could be none other than the great wizard Gandalf. A man accompanied him. Behind the two men followed 4 smaller figures, who Harry assumed must be the hobbits. Behind them, another man, a dwarf. And lastly, what most certainly was an elf. Harry checked his hand and then moved to awaken Hermione instead. Ron would most assuredly grumble, alerting the company to their presence.  
  
Hermione woke quietly at Harry's slightest touch. Hearing the voices of passing fellowship, she immediately began gathering her things. Meanwhile, Harry placed one hand firmly over Ron's mouth as he gently shook him awake. Ron appeared startled at first, but upon seeing Harry's gesture to remain quiet, he immediately understood. In short order, all three were packed and ready to proceed. Hermione gave the fellowship enough of a head start so that they could follow without being detected.  
  
The wind howled around the three Gryffindors threatening to blow the invisibility cloak off and reveal them. All three had to firmly grasp the edges of the cloak bringing them closer together. No one complained however, because the wind was bitingly cold, and they were grateful for the added body heat. Now that the sun had set, darkness quickly descended making it difficult for them to see where they were going. Under the seven- day-old moon, Hermione's eyes strained to keep on the same path as the company.  
  
Suddenly, Ron, catching his toe on a rock, lost his balance and fell face forward onto the road. Following closely behind, Hermione and Harry were pulled down as Ron's momentum yanked the cloak forward without warning. All three lay in a heap in the road.  
  
"I can't breathe. Get off me!" Ron insisted.  
  
"Ssshhh!" Hermione implored.  
  
"What? Are you worried your silencing spell didn't work?" Ron said. Walking about 10 to 20 paces behind the company was only possibly because Hermione had placed a silencing charm on all things covered by the invisibility cloak. Ron hated that she had thought of everything, as usual.  
  
"I don't want to lose them in the dark; let's get going," Harry insisted. With his words, he jumped up and helped his two friends to their feet. Quickly they hastened after the retreating fellowship. As they again came up behind the members of the fellowship, they noticed two of the hobbits were talking with the dwarf, but none of the three could understand what was being said.  
  
Ron was the first to broach the subject. "Are they speaking English?"  
  
"Oh drat, I completely forgot!" Taking out her wand, Hermione whispered: "Lingua intellectum!" Suddenly the words of the hobbits could be understood. Even though the hobbits were not speaking English, the three young wizards could understand every word.  
  
"How long did it take you to grow that beard," asked the smallest hobbit, whom Hermione knew must be Pippin.  
  
"I have been growing this beard all my life, master hobbit," replied the dwarf. Harry smiled to himself at the sound of Gimli's gruff voice; it was exactly as he'd imagined it would be.  
  
"And how long is that," asked the other hobbit, undoubtedly Merry.  
  
"Thirty-nine and one-hundred years."  
  
"Does it itch? It looks like it would itch," Pippin inquired further.  
  
"No, master hobbit, it does not itch. In fact, it keeps one very warm on cold nights such as this," the dwarf said proudly. "Do not hobbits grow beards?"  
  
"No, we grow our hair on our feet – and on our heads," the hobbit added.  
  
"I've only seen beards on dwarves and on men, though, I've had little experience with both. I wonder do elves grow beards?" Without pausing, Pippin eagerly turned to face the elf of Mirkwood. "Legolas, do elves grow beards?"  
  
"No," Legolas replied simply.  
  
Pippin waited for further explanation, but seeing as there was none coming, he turned back to Gimli.  
  
"I guess it's just dwarves and men, then," Pippin concluded.  
  
"Yes, with the elves, it is difficult to tell the males from the females."  
  
"I suppose so. Do dwarven females have beards?"  
  
Before Gimli could respond, Aragorn turned around to face the company. "Lower your voices. We do not wish to alert the enemy to our presence due to hobbit curiosity."  
  
So caught up in the conversation, Ron was not paying attention to his own feet. Dragging the ground, one foot kicked a small stone far ahead of them out from under the protection of their invisible cloak. The rock clattered as it tumbled down the path. Up ahead of them, Legolas spun around looking for the source of the noise. Harry, Ron, and Hermione froze. That keen elven gaze seemed to pierce their invisible shield. No one dared even breathe. 


End file.
